Don't Give Up

When life feels out of sync and you wonder why now, know that there is an appointed time for everything. 

This week's message is not just a reassurance of that but also promise to those, who ride through difficult times with faith and patience.

“so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

- Hebrews‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Chapters

• 0:00 Solomon’s Wisdom and Seasons of Life
• 2:09 God’s Timing When Life Feels Wrong
• 6:55 Faith, Patience, and Hebrews 6:12
• 10:08 Jairus, the Crowds, and a Desperate Plea
• 13:10 The Woman with the Issue of Blood
• 18:20 Power from Jesus and Peace Spoken
• 22:59 Applying Faith and Patience to Your Waiting
• 24:38 Prayer for Strength, Timing, and Breakthrough

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:13

Hallelujah. Today I want to get straight into the word of God and I want to start with some something written by Solomon, King Solomon. And I want to tell you for those of you who don't know, King Solomon was King David's son. And the Bible says that he was known for his wisdom from God, which came from heaven. And the Bible says that he was wiser than all men on the earth. And I want to tell you that he spoke 3,000 proverbs. His songs were 1,005. He spoke of animals and birds and creeping things and fish. And men and even kings from other parts of the earth came to hear from the wisdom of Solomon. Oh, hallelujah! So I'm starting with one of the books that he wrote, and this obviously comes from somebody who has the wisdom of God. In case you didn't know, Solomon also built a temple of gold, which till date the earth is looking for and cannot find it. So I'm reading to you from the book of Ecclesiastes, the first third chapter. And it says that there is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven. There is an appointed time for everything, and there is a time for every event under heaven. Hallelujah. What a beautiful passage of scripture coming from the man with the greatest wisdom on the earth. And this passage of scripture means that God has appointed a time for everything. Hallelujah. He has appointed a time for everything because it says there is a time for every event under heaven. Hallelujah. That means everything is planned by God. And then if you go on to read the uh the second verse onwards from the third chapter, and I'll read it to you very quickly, but you should read it in your own time and meditate on it. It says there is a time to give birth and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build up, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones, a time to embrace and a time to shun embracing, a time to search, and a time to give up as lost. Hallelujah. A time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear apart, a time to sow together, a time to be silent, and a time to speak, a time to love, a time to hate, a time for war, and a time for peace. Wow, hallelujah. There's an appointed time for everything under heaven. Everything under heaven has a time. The Bible says the earth is his footstool. The earth is God's footstool. And everything is planned and controlled by him. And I want to tell you that sometimes some of us are waiting for something. You're waiting for an answer from God. Maybe some of you are waiting for an answer right now. For something that has been happening for a while. Some of you are even at a time in your life where you're thinking timing of this is so wrong. This couldn't have happened at a worse time. The situation is so out of control, Lord. Why is this not happening? Or why is this even happening now, Lord? Why I have always depended on you, so why? Yes, it happens. And we all human, and it happens to each and every one of us. And for those of you who are not in this place, praise God for that. But you need to understand this day that through his word, that there is a time for everything, and know this for sure. And I want to tell you that somebody needs to hear this that God loves you. I want to tell you that God loves you. And have no doubt about it because sometimes you think that God doesn't love you, and that's why He's doing this to you. No, no, He that's not how it works. God absolutely loves you, He knows the beginning from the end. He knows what's best for you. And His word says He knows the plans he has for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans with a with a hope and a future. And sometimes we don't see it that way because for us, what we see, what we ask, what we seek might be what we want at that time. But as I started with Ecclesiastes, there's a time for everything. And what I leave you with that thought, and though we all go through our situations in life, we all do, we're human, we're on this planet, and life sometimes can be filled with ups and downs. And praise God for those of you who haven't gone through anything. Praise God for that. So I just want to tell you this morning that if you are in this place where you're asking these questions of God, where you're asking these questions of your situation, where you're asking these questions questions of the things happening around you. I know it's difficult to accept, but I want to tell you this morning, and I'm here to tell you that just hold on, the time is just not right. It's just not right. And I can't ask you why, because there's a passage of scripture that says Can the clear asks the potter what he is doing. So I cannot I cannot give you the answer as to why, but I can just tell you that through the word of God that the time is just not right now, according to his plan, because he knows the plans he has for you. And today I want to share a scripture with you that you should always keep as a bookmark, that you should go to. It should be one of these things as pillars, or what I'd like to call your foundation, that you should always go to and know in your spirit at all times. And it comes from the book of Hebrews, the sixth chapter, the twelfth verse. Hebrews, the sixth chapter, the twelfth verse, and you should really mark this down and keep it with you. Always, at times when they get tough, read this and let it be your foundation. Hebrews 6 12 says, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Amen. Hallelujah. Do not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises of God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. What a beautiful, beautiful, strong, deep passage of scripture. Faith and patience is what I want to bring to your attention this morning. Faith and patience. Through faith and patience, you can inherit all the promises in the Bible is what this passage of scripture says. But the first part of the sentence says that do not be sluggish. That means with with gusto or with everything that you have, you have got to have faith and patience at all times. Don't lose focus on faith and patience because this passage of scripture says that they go hand in hand or they're synonymous. And it says very clearly but imitators of those who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises of God. And today I want to share one story with you, just one story. An example of faith and patience. And how this person is a pure epitome of faith and patience. And I won't take you to a time when Jesus is walking on the planet. I hope you've made note of this scripture, Hebrews 6, 12, and it really should be one of those scriptures that is your foundation. Mark it down. Go to it whenever you are at a point where you are doubting things happening around you. Faith and patience. And as I said, I have an example to share with you that an ep of which is an epitome of faith and patience, and I'm going straight to it. It's a time when Jesus is on this planet. And he's walking on the earth, and he's working signs, miracles, and wonders, as the Bible calls it, and he's healing every disease that is being brought to him, which is which was, I'm sure it was wow at its time, because I mean doctors would have been so limited and so limited in their knowledge. But Jesus is on this planet and is healing people. Hallelujah. And I won't tell you, he was going from place to place, and the blind were getting their sight back. The lame were walking, the paralyzed were getting up and throwing their mats and dancing. The possessed were being freed of their oppressions. Wow, hallelujah. Amazing things were happening. Of course, Jesus is amazing, so amazing things will happen. But just to let you know that so coming back to this time, so Jesus is walking from place to place, and he's got his disciples that are following him, and this entourage of people that are with him who are now becoming followers and they're moving with him from city to city. And there's a story that I want to share with you. When Jesus is walking through a city, and a synagogue official comes to him called Jairus, and this is how the story starts. So that's where I'm starting with. And he comes to him and he falls at his feet. And the Bible says, implored him earnestly, saying, My little daughter is at the point of death. Please come and lay your hand on her, that she will get well and be healed and live. Wow. So Jairus is uh the Bible calls him a synagogue official, and he knows Jesus is in that place, and he he goes to Jesus, and Jesus is walking with his disciples around him and and a crowd around him, too. And Jairus goes to him and he says, He falls at his feet. He falls at his feet. Hallelujah. And he's he implores means he's um he's requesting him. My little daughter's at the point of death. That means there's no there's no option now. And believe me, it is not in the story I have to share with you. And he says, just come, please come and lay your hands on her, that she will get well and leave and live. What faith. So now Jesus is just walking immediately after he says this. Jesus just walks towards Jairus' house, and large crowds start following him because they all know something amazing is about to happen. And the Bible says that when Jesus is walking, there are people pressing against him as he goes. Some of you know the story, and some of you don't. But here today, with a renewed mind and a renewed spirit and a renewed sense of faith and patience. And the Bible says there's this woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years. And this is the only time she's actually mentioned in the Bible that this woman has an issue of blood for 12 years, and she gets to know that Jesus is passing through the place. Hallelujah. And she thinks to herself, if I just touch the hem of his garment, I will be made well. Hallelujah. So I started with Jairus, and Jairus' daughter is on her deathbed, and Jesus, without batting an eyelid, walks towards Jairus' home. Excuse me, with his disciples and the crowds thronging against him and putting against him. And there's this lady there who has an issue of blood. The Bible, another version calls it a hemorrhage for twelve years, and she's in that place, and she thinks to herself, if I just touch the hem of his garment, I will be made well. And in fact, the Bible even says that she spent everything that she had, she spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed. In fact, the Bible says she even got worse. And those of you who have an imagination should imagine this. If you've ever been in a place where there's a celebrity walking by and there are crowds, and you know how you can just look from afar and try and jump and even try and see if you can get a glimpse, because there's no way you're getting close to that person. But this woman decides that I'm going to touch the hem of his garment. And as I said, I want you to picture this. This is a woman who's had an issue of blood or a hemorrhage, the Bible calls it, in the NASB for twelve years. She would have been living outside the compounds of the city. She would have not been allowed inside because having an issue of blood means you are cursed. She would have not been allowed into any of the places of worship or the temples and the synagogues because, as I said, you're considered unclean. She would have been probably living out of the city. And I can tell you, lepers used to live outside the city because it was highly contagious. The blind used to sit outside because they used to beg. And she would have been on her own because nobody would have touched her or gone close to her because she was unclean. And she had a solitary life. Because the Bible even says she had everything that she had, she spent everything of her livelihood, she spent on physicians and only got worse. And now I'm taking you to this point where Jesus is walking by and there's this crowd, and she thinks to herself, if I just touch the hem of his garment, I will be made well. And the Bible, as I said, you have to picture this. The crowds are around him. And she the Bible says he touched, she touches him from behind, which means she would have gone through the crowd and crawled. There's no way a weakened woman who is bleeding consistently since the past 12 years can push through that kind of crowd, but she does. And I think the only way you can do that is if you crawl, because when somebody feels something at their feet, they will give way. So picture this: she crawls through the crowd. She would have been stamped. Some people even would have kicked at her. But she reaches him and she touches the hem of his garment from behind. And I'm going to the Bible now when it says, and when she touched the hem of his garment, Jesus stopped and asked his disciples, Who touched me? Who touched me? In the book of Luke, Peter was standing next to him and he says, Lord, can you see the crowds around you? And you're asking him who touched you? There's a question mark there, Who touched you, Lord? Look at the crowds. And Jesus said, Somebody has touched me for power. Hallelujah. Has gone out of me. Somebody has touched me because power has gone out of me. Who is the one who touched me? Someone did touch me, for I'm aware that power has gone out of me. Hallelujah. So Jesus would have stopped in his tracks, and he started asking his disciples in the middle of a crowd, who touched me? So there's one version where Peter responds. There's another version where all his dis a few disciples respond to him, Lord, who touched you? Look at the crowds, Lord. But I know somebody has touched me because power has gone out of me. And the lady trembling falls in front of Jesus and explains her situation. And the Bible says she was healed immediately when she touched the hem of his garment. Hallelujah. Wow, hallelujah. And beautiful Jesus turns around and says, Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Hallelujah. Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Oh, hallelujah. He stopped. I want to bring, I want to tell you and I want to emphasize today why Jesus stopped. He stopped. Because this woman touched the hem of his garment and power went out of him. I want to tell you that Jesus could not help it. He could not help it. He was not even, he was not even expecting to heal this person. He was on his way to Jairus' home to heal a little child, a little daughter. And there's somebody who touches him, and the touch, this woman's touch of faith, that touch of someone with faith. That power went out of Jesus. And you've got to understand the story this morning. The touch of someone who has waited patiently for their time. I told you this lady would have lived in solitude. She would have had no money. She would have been on the outskirts of the city, and people would have probably been throwing food at her because she was unclean. And that's how she must have lived for 12 years in seclusion. The Bible does not mention family, it does not mention friends. It only says outcast. You would have been an outcast, not been allowed into any rituals, any places of crowds or gatherings, just an issue of blood. That's it for 12 years with nothing left besides that to show for it. Patience, patience is not even a word in this situation. She would have probably reached a point where she thought, This is my life. How have I got to this point? Oh, but Jesus happens. Hallelujah. Jesus happens, and Jesus walks by. And she says, If I just have touch him, if I touch the hem of his garment, I will be made well. If I touch the hem of his garment, I will be made well. And she crawls and goes for it. And power goes out of Jesus. Hallelujah. I want to tell you this morning, Hebrews 6:12, she was not sluggish. I don't I cannot even imagine what she might have been going through. A person who's all alone, no family, no money, and just outcast by people. Some of you might be experiencing that sometimes in life. People look at you and say things about you, and you know it. People look at you and say, the black sheep of the family, and you know it. Doesn't matter, didn't matter to her. Of course, she must have been in a low place. As I said, not having people around her, being an outcast, being considered unclean, that's such a dirty feeling to have. Because those times were different. But Jesus happens. And I want to tell you, for some of you, Jesus has happened. And for those of you who don't know who Jesus is, just sit in your room, close your door, and say, Jesus, come into my life, and He will come. And you will get to know Him, and Jesus will happen for you too. And this is the example I wanted to share with you for a woman who had the issue of 12 blood, uh, the issue of blood for 12 years, who had no hope whatsoever, just gets to know that Jesus is walking by, and a touch of faith and power goes out of him, so that you may not be sluggish. She was far from sluggish. She crawled through the crowd. She must have got kicked, stamped on, spat on. I don't know, so many things that I can't even imagine. Just to touch the hem of that garment, be imitators of those who through faith and patience inhalt the promises. Hallelujah. Some of you are waiting for a breakthrough. I want to tell you this morning through this example and through the word of God, aligned with Ecclesiastes and with Hebrew, just hold on. You need to have patience because it's the ultimate combination of faith and patience that will get you to inherit the promise of God. And I want to tell you, sometimes, sometimes, like this example, if you take that step of faith, you will get your breakthrough. Even if it's not in God's plan, he will make it happen. It was not in Jesus' plan. To heal this woman, it was Jesus' plan to go to Jairus' house and heal his little daughter, which by the way, he did, because she was already dead when he got there, and he just picks her by the hand, picks her up. And that's the story for another time. But have faith and have patience is all I'm here to tell you this beautiful morning through these scriptures and through this example that I've shared with you. And Jesus will come through. He loves you, he takes care of the minutest details in your life, and he will come through for you. Just have faith and have patience. Hallelujah. I'd like to pray. I thank you for your double-edged sword. That does not go back until it has achieved what it has to, Lord. I thank you, Lord. Today, some people are taking a step of faith. And they are receiving their breakthrough, Lord. Thank you, Lord. I thank you, Lord, for some people the time is not yet. And as aligned with your word, Lord, there's a time for everything, a time for every event under the heaven. And the time is just not yet, Lord. But I thank you, Lord, that you're strengthening people and helping them in their situation, Lord. I thank you, Lord, for some people. You're letting them know that you are in control. Thank you, Lord, for some people. You're even opening the spiritual eyes and showing them what you are doing for them. Oh, hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah. Just as you did for Yazi, Lord. Oh, thank you, Lord. Thank you for this beautiful word. Thank you, Lord, that you've renewed people's faith. Thank you, Lord, that you have you've reassuring people this beautiful morning that you are in control. And they just need to be patient, aligned with your word, and have faith, and they will inherit all the promises, Lord. Which are ye and amen. Through you. So your name. Hallelujah. Thank you for this beautiful time. Thank you for this blessed word, Lord. We leave all our situations, all our iniquities, all our pain, our hurt, everything at your feet, Lord. You are the Baam of Gilead, Lord. You are a healer, Lord. You are the Alsa and the Omega. The beginning and the end. You know the beginning from the end. And you are fully in control. Thank you for the plans you have for us, Lord. Plans to prosper us and not to harm us in plans with the hope and a future. Thank you, Lord. Take us only to places where you will want to take us, Lord. Where you lead before. Thank you for this beautiful, beautiful time. Thank you for this beautiful presence that some people can feel. And you're showing them that you're in control, Lord. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.